Favourite Magic Systems

Posted October 3, 2018 by Brin in Memes, Top 5 Wednesday / 0 Comments

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey @GingerReadsLainey on Youtube and is now hosted by Sam @ThoughtsOnTomes

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There’s a new topic every Wednesday, and you then list your Top 5 books related to the particular topic.

Favourite Magic Systems

I really love this week’s topic because there are so many different magic systems I could choose from! I’ve decided not to solely focus on books but across a wider range of mediums such as games, film, and television. I’ve also ended up with six choices rather than five. Since I honestly couldn’t pick one to discard, it is top 6 Wednesday this week. 😀

1. The Wit and The Skill – Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb

This is my absolute favourite fantasy series (actually, favourite any series) and it has the best magic systems ever! Both The Skill and The Wit are such fascinating abilities. The Wit is looked down on within the world itself but I think the ability to communicate and bond with animals sounds amazing. The Skill is often used more like a Scrying power but users can also manipulate mind and matter in a way that is frightening but awesome.

2. Mage Class – Dragon Age series

As much as I try to vary my play styles, I always inevitably end up going back to my trusty Mage class. I just adore playing a Mage. Don’t get me wrong, the Rogue class can be fun too. However, I am more drawn to the Mage class and I love having magical abilities. A few of my favourite characters such as Solas, Morrigan, and Anders are also mages which makes for a fun gaming experience. Though my favourite romance and character will always be Fenris who ironically isn’t too fond of mages – it’s so much fun romancing him as a mage and seeing him open up to a Mage Hawke.

3. The Magicians – TV series

There are various disciplines of magic in ‘The Magicians’ but the ones given the most focus are physical – which is the magical ability to manipulate matter; psychic – magical abilities concerning psychic energies; and to a lesser degree Illusion – the magical ability to create and manipulate vivid illusions. There are also hedge witches in the series whose powers vary. The show is based on the book series by Lev Grossman but since I haven’t read it (yet) I’m solely basing my choice on the series.

4. The Craft – Movie

This movie made witches cool to my teenage self. Although most of them wind up more than a bit homicidal; I still wanted to have magic powers after watching this movie! Honestly, I loved everything; the music, the fashion – it all appealed to my inner goth child. Even though it is a little dated now, I still really enjoy this movie. The magic system used is pretty darn spectacular. 😉

5. Grisha (Corporalki, Etherealki and Materialki) – The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Now granted, I’ve only read the first book but the magic system in this series is beyond fascinating. I loved reading about it and I’m actually rather anxious to get back to this series again (I’ll get there at some point). The Darkling is, of course, a captivating character but I enjoyed reading about all the Ravkan magic users and definitely am looking forward to returning to this world.

6. Technomancy – The Technomancer

I had to include The Technomancer even though it is a little bit more science fiction than fantasy and therefore not standard magic per se. Still, I love the lightning abilities you can wield in this game (shocky fingers!) so I would be remiss not to include it. It didn’t really get the best reviews or a lot of fanfare at release. It also seems to have been forgotten about and there is little in the way of fandom which is a darn shame. One of my favourite magic systems.